Caslen said the Oct. 15-16 fall break is cancelled, and classes will be held on these days.

“The public health risks associated with thousands of students and faculty returning to campus after Fall Break travels could be significant for the campus and Columbia communities and could jeopardize the continuation of the semester,” he said,

Officials also say students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break, but rather will have two "remote class days," followed by a reading period, and final exams.

“Our best current modeling predicts a spike in cases of COVID-19 at the beginning of December, which also will likely coincide with traditional flu season,” when explaining the reasoning for that change, the letter stated.

Caslen said while they will hold face-to-face instruction this fall, several already scheduled courses will need to be switched over this summer to online for the safety of students and instructors.

Here is the full Fall 2020 academic calendar:

Aug. 20: Classes begin

Sept. 7: Labor Day will be a Remote Class Day; classes will be held online and asynchronous for all classes

Oct. 15-16: Fall Break is canceled; classes will be held on these days

Nov. 3: General Election Day will be a Remote Class Day; classes will be held online and asynchronous for all classes